LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S SUPER BOWL WEEK!
Normally, I wouldn't start with all caps, but it's the Super Bowl, so how could I not. For the next five days, we'll be covering anything and everything there is to know about the Super Bowl.
Of course, the Super Bowl won't be the only thing we talk about this week and that's because there are still coaches being hired. The Dolphins finalized a deal with their new guy (Matt McDaniel) over the weekend and the Texans appear to be on the cusp of hiring a coach in a move that came out of nowhere and since you probably want to know who that is, let's get to the rundown and find out.
This is usually the part where I ask you to sign all your friends up for the newsletter, but instead, I'll offer a gentle reminder that I'll be in Los Angeles this week and you can follow along with my shenanigans on Twitter by clicking here.
Finally, if you want to see me in video form this week, the higher-ups decided to give me an hour each day to talk about the Super Bowl with Ryan Wilson and Will Brinson. That will be coming to you at 5 p.m. ET on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday and if you want to watch for free on CBS Sports HQ, be sure to click here.
1. Today's show: Betting guide for 2022 Super Bowl
The Monday podcast is usually a recap show, but there's nothing to recap this week since there weren't any games played on Sunday. Well, there was the Pro Bowl, but I'm not going to count that.
Anyway, with no games to recap, Will Brinson had to come up with another idea for today's podcast, so he invited R.J. White to the show and they recorded a monstrous betting guide that mostly involved the best props to bet for Super Bowl LVI. If you're going to bet on the Super Bowl this year, then you're going to want to listen to the podcast. If you're not going to bet, you should still listen, because you'll be able to impress your friends with all your gambling knowledge.
For this podcast, White, who is our NFL betting guru, supplied all the stats and trends you'll need to know so that you feel comfortable and confident betting on all sorts of game props. Brinson and White discussed everything from player props to early-game props to late-game props to full-game props and of course, Super Bowl MVP.
Here are two props that have good value, plus a bonus long shot prop from White:
- Cooper Kupp longest reception OVER 27.5 yards (+120). Kupp went over this number 23 TIMES this season, including five times in the past five games. Basically, even though he's the one receiver that opposing defenses focus on every week, they still haven't been able to slow him down.
- Team with the longest field goal: Bengals (-115). This almost feels like a lock. Not only is Evan McPherson having one of the best postseasons of any kicker in NFL history, but he also led the NFL with nine field goals of 50 or more yards this year. On the other hand, Rams kicker Matt Gay has only four field goals of 50 or more yards this year, plus he's been dealing with an injury that caused him to come up SHORT on a 47-yard kick in the divisional round. McPherson is healthier, has a stronger leg and his coach trusts him to hit from anywhere inside 60.
- Bengals exact points: 12 (+10000). Look, this is a long shot prop, but if it hits, you'd win $10,000 on a $100 bet. The reason R.J. likes this is because he could see a situation like last year where one team faces so much pressure that the QB struggles in the game (That's what happened to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LV and they only scored nine points). To get 12, the Bengals would have multiple options to get there: They could get four field goals from McPherson or it could be a situation where they get two field goals plus a TD with a missed two-point conversion.
There are PLENTY of other props on today's pod and if you want to listen, you can click here. You can also WATCH today's show on YouTube by clicking here.
2. Dolphins hire Matt McDaniel
After more than nearly a month of searching, the Miami Dolphins have finally found their guy. The Dolphins announced on Sunday that they've hired 49ers offensive coordinator Matt McDaniel as their new head coach. McDaniel will replace Brian Flores, who was shockingly fired on Jan. 10 after compiling a 24-25 record over three seasons in Miami.
Here's what you need to know about McDaniel:
- He was Kyle Shanahan's right-hand man. There's no one Shanahan trusts more than McDaniel. The 49ers coach has had McDaniel with him in nearly EVERY NFL stop he's made since being hired by the Texans in 2006. McDaniel followed Shanahan from Houston to Washington (2010-13) to Cleveland (2014) to Atlanta (2015-16) to San Francisco. The Dolphins are hoping that McDaniel can be the next Shanahan, Matt LaFleur or Sean McVay.
- McDaniel will be the third-youngest coach in the NFL. At just 38 years old, McDaniel is now the third-youngest head coach in the NFL (He'll become the fourth when the Vikings officially hire Rams OC Kevin O'Connell, who is 36). The only current coaches who are younger just happen to be the two coaches who will be standing on opposite sidelines against each other in the Super Bowl on Sunday: Sean McVay (36) and Zac Taylor (38).
- McDaniel is the first minority hire of the current coaching style. With the NFL in some hot water right now over its lack of minority hiring, Roger Goodell was probably thrilled to see the Dolphins hire McDaniel. Miami's new coach is bi-racial with both his father and grandmother being Black. The Dolphins and the NFL were hit with a discrimination lawsuit by Flores just weeks after his firing in Miami.
- Other details of the hiring. According to ESPN.com, McDaniel was given in a four-year deal, which means he's going to need to get things figured out quickly in Miami. The other finalist for the job was Cowboys offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, who will now almost certainly remain in Dallas.
For more on McDaniel's hiring, be sure to click here. The hiring of McDaniel means that seven of the nine open jobs have now been filled. Only the Saints, and Texans have yet to hire a coach.
But that could change soon. The Texans appear close to naming LOVIE SMITH as their next head coach -- and you can check out more details on that story by clicking here.
On the Saints' end, New Orleans interviewed Eric Bieniemy on Sunday and it won't be surprising if they make a decision at some point in the very near future.
3. Ranking all the starters in the Super Bowl
I have to admit, I was under the impression that Pete Prisco was taking two weeks off between the conference title games and the Super Bowl, but apparently, it turns out I was wrong. The reason we haven't heard from Pete in a while is because Prisco has been busy ranking EVERY SINGLE STARTER on both teams for the Super Bowl.
There are 11 starters on offense for both teams and 11 starters on defense for both teams, which means there are 44 starters in the game. Pete took a look at each player individually and then ranked them from from 1 to 46 (He also ranks the nickel back for each team, so there are actually 46 players in his rankings).
Here's a look at his top five and his bottom five:
1. Aaron Donald (Rams DL)
2. Jalen Ramsey (Rams CB)
3. Cooper Kupp (Rams WR)
4. Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals WR)
5. Joe Burrow (Bengals QB)
...
42. Troy Reeder (Rams ILB)
43. David Long (Rams DB)
44. Markus Bailey (Bengals LB)
45. Isaiah Prince (Bengals OT)
46. Hakeem Adeniji (Bengals OG)
Based on the top three, I'm guessing you already know who Prisco is going to pick to win the Super Bowl. The fact that the top guy is Aaron Donald and Prisco views the two worst Bengals players as two of their offensive linemen means that it could be a long day for Joe Burrow.
If you want to see Prisco's explanation for why his rankings fall the way they do and if you want to know who falls in the 6 through 41 slots, be sure to click here. Most importantly, if you want to argue with Prisco about his list on Twitter, be sure to click here.
4. Super Bowl Opening Night -- aka Media Day -- is today
In a normal year, Super Bowl Opening Night is an event where the NFL rents out a convention center and then sends every member of the media to that convention center to interview every player from both teams. However, due to the fact that COVID is still lingering, cramming thousands of people into a confined space is frowned upon -- especially in California -- so the NFL will be making everything virtual for tonight's event.
As a matter of fact, Super Bowl Opening Night isn't even going to be at night this year and that's because everything is going to take place during the day. By the time you read this, most of the interviews will already be over.
- The Bengals coaches and players will be virtually meeting with the media from 10 a.m. until 10:45 p.m. ET on Monday. Those interviews will actually be conducted while the Bengals are in Cincinnati because they won't be heading out to L.A. until Tuesday. Before heading out, the Bengals will be holding a Super Bowl Opening Night rally at Paul Brown Stadium tonight.
- The Rams coaches and players will be virtually meeting with the media from 5 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. ET on Monday.
To keep the spirit of Opening Night alive, NFL Network and ESPN2 will be airing the best of all the interviews on Monday night at 8 p.m. ET. You can also get full coverage by streaming things live on CBS Sports HQ (Click here).
Also, since almost all of these interviews will have already taken place by the time you read this, you can fill yourself in on what you missed by clicking here and reading our live blog.
5. Pro Bowl recap
Guys, I'm not going to lie, I only watched about five minutes of the Pro Bowl on Sunday and that's mostly because I was in an airplane flying across the country while the game was being played. Fortunately for us, though, Bryan DeArdo did watch the game and he broke down everything that happened in the AFC's 41-35 win over the NFC.
Here are a few things to know from the game:
- There were three DEFENSIVE touchdowns in the first 16 minutes of the game. Before the clock even hit the 14-minute mark in the second quarter, there were three defensive scores. The first one came when Darius Leonard returned a Kyler Murray pass 45 yards for a TD. The second one came on the final play of the first quarter when Antoine Winfield picked off Patrick Mahomes and returned it 65 yards for a TD. The third one came when Myles Garrett returned a Kirk Cousins fumble for a TD (you can see that play by clicking here). That play was originally ruled a pick-six, but changed to a fumble.
- There were eight turnovers overall in the game. Defenses might not win championships anymore, but they do win Pro Bowls. Not only did the two defenses combine for three scores, but they also combined to force EIGHT turnovers. The six Pro Bowl quarterbacks combined to throw a total of seven interceptions: Russell Wilson threw two while Cousins, Kyler Murray, Mac Jones, Justin Herbert and Mahomes all threw one. The eighth turnover was Cousins' fumble.
- The AFC West earns top honors. There were two MVPs in the game and both of them went to players from the AFC West. Raiders star Maxx Crosby ended up being named the defensive MVP after a game where he had two sacks. On the offensive side of the ball, Chargers QB Justin Herbert took home MVP honors thanks in large part to the fact that he threw two of the AFC's three TD passes in the game.
If you want all the details from the AFC's win, be sure to click here so you can check out DeArdo's recap.
6. Rapid-fire roundup: Alvin Kamara arrested in Las Vegas
It was a busy weekend in the NFL and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Alvin Kamara arrested. The Saints star, who played in the Pro Bowl on Sunday, was arrested on a battery charge after the game. According to Las Vegas police, Kamara is accused of injuring someone during a scuffle at a Vegas night club in the early morning hours on Sunday. For more details on the story, be sure to click here.
- Steelers promote Teryl Austin to defensive coordinator. With the retirement of Keith Butler, the Steelers had a gaping hole at defensive coordinator and they filled that over the weekend by promoting Austin from within. Not only does Austin have five years of experience as a defensive coordinator in the NFL (Lions from 2014-17 and the Bengals in 2018), but he knows the Steelers well because he's been on the coaching staff since 2019.
- Raiders hire Patrick Graham as defensive coordinator. Josh McDaniels just filled out one of the key roles on his staff by hiring Graham as his defensive coordinator. Graham spent the past two seasons as the DC for the Giants, but decided to jump ship to join McDaniels in Vegas.
- Colts hire Gus Bradley as defensive coordinator. The reason the Raiders had an opening for defensive coordinator is because Gus Bradley left Las Vegas after Josh McDaniels was hired. However, Bradley wasn't unemployed for long because the Colts have hired him to replace Matt Eberflus, who is now the head coach of the Bears. Bradley built the foundation for the Legion of Boom defense while serving as the defensive coordinator in Seattle from 2009-12. He's also served as the Chargers' defensive coordinator from 2017 to 2020 before taking the Raiders job last year.
- 49ers hire Anthony Lynn as assistant head coach. With Mike McDaniel heading to Miami, Kyle Shanahan moved quickly to add another offensive mind to his coaching staff by hiring Lynn to serve as an assistant head coach. Lynn was the Chargers' head coach for four seasons before being fired following the 2020 season.
- Ravens president retiring, ex-Browns GM will be taking his place. After 18 years with the Ravens, team president Dick Cass has decided to retire. Cass will be replaced by former Browns general manager Sashi Brown, who had been working with the NBA's Wizards before agreeing to take the Ravens job over the weekend.
